


Singles Awareness Day

by ColorMeParanoid



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Evan "Buck" Buckley, POV Outsider, but they don't stay single for long, it may be singles day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29469156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorMeParanoid/pseuds/ColorMeParanoid
Summary: "I am perfectly happy being single," Buck insisted, completely ignoring her question. "In fact, as it just so happens, the 15th of February is the official Singles Awareness Day. So, while you're all out there paying for your overpriced meals and already wilting roses, I'm going to buy a bunch of discounted chocolate and have an awesome time all by myself. Hell, maybe I'll even ask Eddie to join me."Chimney looked like he was about to say something, like point out how inviting the man you liked for a dinner to celebrate being single together seemed a little counterproductive, so Hen, realizing the opportunity, stomped on his foot under the table to shut him up before he ruined it.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 470





	Singles Awareness Day

“So, Buckaroo. Have any plans for Valentine’s day tonight?”

The look that Buck shot Chimney was so offended that it nearly made him stumble, it was so unexpected. Buck, the one who was usually the most excited for any type of holiday, real or not, hadn’t been in this foul of a mood in a really long time. Seeing him like this was always a cause for concern.

"Valentine’s day is made up holiday invented by big corporations to guilt people into buying chocolates, cards and overpriced flowers,” Buck recited for at least the third time that same day. "I don't understand why anyone would bother celebrating it. Here's an idea; show your partner you care for them _every_ other day of the year instead and save a bunch of money in the process."

Chimney snorted. "You're only saying that because you're single." The scowl Buck aimed his way just further proved his point. "Well, I'm taking Maddie out for a fancy dinner. It’ll be our last chance for some alone time before the baby arrives."

"Karen’s parents offered to babysit so we're going out, too," Hen said. "I can't wait. This is the first time in years since we had the time to do something since it's on the weekend. We'd be fools not to take advantage of that."

"Right?" Chimney grinned at her, turning to Bobby who had so far been silently focusing on preparing them breakfast. "What about you, Cap? Have any plans?"

Bobby glanced at Buck, wary, before he said, "Athena and I are also going out." Buck groaned, as if betrayed. "Michael's boyfriend is working and he offered to take the kids. Sorry, Buck, but I'm not missing out on a lovely night out with my wife just to help you prove a point."

"Maddie mentioned some speed dating event that Josh was attending," Chimney said, not casual at all like Maddie trained him. "I'm sure he'd be more than happy to bring you along-"

But Buck was shaking his head before Chim could even finish his sales pitch. "Absolutely not. What is it about couples always trying to make everyone couple up, too? What's so wrong with being single?"

"Nothing," Hen said. "We just want you to be happy. When was the last time you even went out on a date with anyone?"

"I am perfectly happy being single," Buck insisted, completely ignoring her question. "In fact, as it just so happens, the 15th of February is the official Singles Awareness Day. So, while you're all out there paying for your overpriced meals and already wilting roses, I'm going to buy a bunch of discounted chocolate and have an awesome time all by myself. Hell, maybe I'll even ask Eddie to join me."

Chimney looked like he was about to say something, like point out how inviting the man you liked for a dinner to celebrate being single together seemed a little counterproductive, so Hen, realizing the opportunity, stomped on his foot under the table to shut him up before he ruined it.

"What if Eddie already has plans?" she asked.

Buck snorted. "Eddie?"

She raised her eyebrow. "He's a very attractive and very single man. You never know."

Rolling his eyes, Buck leaned over the railing and called out, "Eddie!" Eddie, who'd been leaning on one of the trucks and texting someone on his phone looked up, startled. "Do you have any plans for tonight?"

"No?" Eddie frowned, clearly confused. "Is that your roundabout way of inviting yourself over to my place tonight? Because you know you don't need to keep asking. That's why I gave you the key."

"No, it's Valentine’s day," Buck said.

Eddie frowned harder. "What does that have to do with anything?" 

Buck turned to her, smug to have been proven right and it was a struggle to keep a straight face in light of this new information. Buck had a key to Eddie's place? Of course, she and Chimney exchanged keys just in case something happened to either of them at work, but she certainly didn't expect him to just let himself in any time he wanted.

Unlike Buck and Eddie, they had this thing called _boundaries_.

"See?" Buck said, smirking. "He agrees with me."

"That's not what he said, though," Chimney said and Hen kicked him again.

"Well, I think that your idea of celebrating Singles Night sounds great," she said with an encouraging smile. "I'm sure that Eddie would be more than happy to join you. In fact, Karen and I can take Christopher for a sleepover so the two of you can actually go out for a proper dinner for a change, really show all the couples out there what they're missing out on. What do you think?"

"That's a great suggestion, Hen. Thank you. Chim, you should take notes." Ignoring Chimney's protest, Buck leaned casually over the railing again, so very confident like he didn't even entertain the possibility of Eddie saying no. And why would he? It's not like Eddie ever would. "Hey, Eddie?"

Eddie sighed, clearly exasperated as he lowered his phone. "What?"

"You and me, dinner tomorrow night?" he asked, that charming smile on full display. "There's this new restaurant that opened a while ago near my place that sounds good. My treat, of course."

Eddie considered him for a long moment before he nodded. "Sure. Sounds good."

Buck grinned. "Great! It's a date. I'll pick you up at 7." He turned to the rest of them and gestured vaguely down at Eddie who seemed rooted to his spot. "See? Eddie gets it."

Judging by the way Eddie ducked his head to hide his grin, no, Hen wasn't sure he did. And she didn't blame him. He barely knew that it was Valentine’s day, let alone any other obscure unofficial holiday Buck managed to dig up. The odds of him knowing that this wasn't an actual date were pretty slim. Because while the two of them hung out together a lot, Hen sincerely doubted that them going out involved nice restaurants.

Utterly oblivious, Buck picked up his phone and walked down the steps, probably calling the restaurant to make a reservation and the three of them shared a knowing look.

"Should we tell them?" Bobby asked, looking slightly concerned but Hen shook her head.

"No," she said, looking down at Eddie who was yet to stop smiling and Buck who seemed so very excited without quite realizing what exactly he was so excited about. This was quite enough meddling for one day. Besides, "I think they just might figure this one out all on their own."

*

The restaurant, as expected, was actually very nice. Buck had done his research well. The food they were serving was authentically Mexican and not an Americanized version that Eddie couldn't stand after being raised on the real deal. It didn’t hold a candle to his Abuela's cooking – not that anything could– but it was still amazing and dinner was off to a great start.

Eddie was uncharacteristically nervous when Buck picked him up this evening, and Buck had done his best to reassure him that Christopher would be just fine with Hen and that he could finally relax. It took a while for him to fully snap out of his weird mood, but halfway through their meal and one glass of wine in, his shoulders finally lost all traces of tension.

The conversation came easily, like it always did between them, even though Buck was struggling to focus. Sure, he did tell Eddie that the restaurant was nicer than the places they usually went out to but he'd really gone all out with his outfit. A button up shirt and sinfully tight black jeans, and he'd even put on just the right amount of cologne not to be oppressive but for Buck to able to smell it in the tight confines of his car and crave more.

He'd dressed up the same, opting out for one of his nicer sweaters instead of a button up, so it shouldn't have felt off but it did. Because when Buck looked around the restaurant, he couldn’t help but notice that the majority of the patrons seem to have been couples. And the two of them were just two friends celebrating being single in their own way because there was nothing wrong with being single.

Only, now that he thought about it, had he ever mentioned this fact to Eddie? He'd asked him out to dinner, picked him up, bought him flowers as a joke before he stuffed them under the seat of his car because of a sudden spike of anxiety that it would be too much. And now here they were, all dressed up and seated close together in what was a surprisingly romantic sort of ambiance and oh shit, this was a date, wasn't it?

Eddie nudged him with his foot under the table, getting Buck's attention. "Everything okay? You checked out there for a minute."

Buck nodded, taking a sip of his wine to help soothe his suddenly parched throat. "Yeah," he said, offering Eddie a slightly strained smile. "Everything is perfect."

Eddie didn’t move his foot away and they continued with their dinner as if nothing had changed, as if Buck’s world hadn't just shifted completely off its axis. Because Eddie thought that Buck was asking him out on a date, and he'd said _yes_.

If Buck had known that the answer would be yes, he'd have asked Eddie out a long time ago. Probably. If he managed to convince himself that Eddie wasn't going to freak out and never speak to him again, that is.

As far as he was concerned, Eddie never had to know what his original intentions for this night were. If Eddie thought this was a date and it looked and felt like a date... then, a date it would be.

Could it really be as simple as that?

They finished dinner, then ordered dessert and stayed until the waitress started giving them hints that they should get ready to leave. Eddie only agreed to let Buck pay for dinner if he could pay next time and Buck was too busy mentally freaking out about the fact that there would be a next time to protest too much.

He drove Eddie home in a comfortable silence and offered to walk him to his door. Eddie had been stealing little glances the entire time and Buck was pretty sure he knew where this was going. Before he could think twice about it, he reached under his backseat and pulled out the bouquet of slightly wilted and crushed roses, already regretting it. But fuck it, he'd come this far so he might as well fully commit.

The look on Eddie's face when he handed him the flowers was well worth the future teasing he was sure he was going to get, shock mixed with both delight and amusement.

Buck rubbed at the back of his neck, trying not to fidget too much under Eddie's loaded gaze. "I know they don't look like much and they'll die almost instantly, but." He shrugged, unsure on how to explain his reasoning because he was still not buying into the whole Valentine’s day crap. He just wasn't. It was supposed to be a _joke_ , but he couldn’t say that now, could he?

Eddie gave him a soft smile, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek. "Thanks, Buck," he murmured right against his ear. "They're lovely."

Buck shivered and took a leap of faith, ignoring the blatant lie. He turned his head just so and let their lips slot together, Eddie letting the flowers drop from his hands so he could wrap his arms around Buck's shoulders and pull him in even closer.

Considering that Buck planned to end this night eating ridiculous amount of chocolate alone in his apartment, this far exceeded his expectations.

This misunderstanding might just be the best thing that ever happened to him.

*

The morning after, when they both walked into the station with matching hickeys and barely restraining their smiles, well, Hen had a hard time not feeling smug. Karen was right to say that they'd all be screwed if she used her powers for evil. But fortunately for everyone, she only allowed herself to slightly meddle and only if it was for a good cause.

And pushing Buck and Eddie in the right direction benefited literally everyone.

She was smirking when Buck came up to join her for breakfast and Buck scowled at her. "Shut up."

She laughed. "I didn't say anything."

He pointed a finger at her and narrowed his eyes. "But you were thinking it."

She grinned, playing innocent. "Just to clear the air, what did happen last night?" Buck hesitated, so she added, "And don't think I won't go ask Eddie if you don't tell me everything yourself."

Buck pursed his lips, looking away. "Eddie... might have assumed that I asked him out on a date."

She raised her eyebrows, encouraging him to keep going. "And?"

"And maybe we had such a nice time that I didn't bother correcting him," he mumbled, face heating up. "And maybe I kissed him at the end of it when I dropped him off at home and maybe he kissed me back." Buck looked up. "And maybe we're going out again next weekend. But you knew that already, didn't you?"

She shrugged. "I might have made an assumption or two. I'm just glad it all worked out."

"Me too," Buck admitted, gazing longingly towards the locker room where Eddie must have still been changing into his uniform. He snapped out of it a moment later, turning his pleading blue eyes to Hen. "Please don't tell Eddie?"

Hen winked at him in return. "Tell Eddie about what?"

He grinned at her, clearly relieved, completely ignoring the fact that technically, Hen hadn't promised anything. In fact, she was definitely going to tell Eddie about this at some point, she just wouldn’t do it now at the start of their relationship, when it was still oh so very fragile.

She'd just save it for their wedding toast, instead.


End file.
